Wednesday, 13 August 2014

5D4N Cambodia Feb 2014 : Phnom Penh

Booked a tour for Killing Field + sunset on ATV and the free pick up from our hotel at 4pm.

Killing Fields of Cheung Ek is situated 15 kilometers south-west of Phnom Penh. Although it was only around 20-40 minutes drive depending on the traffic, we did not expect to journey was this unbearable. Not only it was very dusty due to many construction along the roadside, the road was extremely bumpy. All of us brought a mask from Singapore but we did not bring it out that evening.....we dipped tissue with water to cover our noses and double protected our faces with our tee shirts.

Ok lah.. I should thank god that it was not a wet weather..

Finally we reached Killing Field of Choeung Ek. We bought the entrance tickets + audio sets (US$5 each). Please buy audio set. You can listen as you walk around the area.

A commemorative stupa filled with more than 5,000 skulls of the victims at the Killing Field of Choeung Ek.

This tree is weird...

There are audio numbers where you could fast forward or repeat the audio while you walk.

In order to save ammunition, the executions were often carried out using poison, spades or sharpened leaves blades like this.

Before 1975, this was a Chinese cemetery until the head of this Khmer Rouge regime - Pol Pot who described as the "Hilter of Cambodia" took over for the wrong purpose.

There are many holes on the ground. These are graves. Mass graves where the victims were buried in dead or alive. They were transported from S-21 prison.

The bones and teeth fragment that were exhumed can still be seen on the ground after the flood and raining.

Some of the cambodian kids. They asked me to take photo of them.

The ribbon bands are the blessings of the people.

Children and infants of adult victims were killed by having their heads bashed against the trunks of Chankiri trees (as above). This was to stop them growing up and taking revenge for their parents' deaths.

This place is less overwhelming than in Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) perhaps due to more sunlight. Underneath this peaceful place, it actually masked the horrors that unfolded here less than three decades ago.

We then proceeded to our last activity in Cambodia.

A before shot with cleaner shoes and sunglasses.

Then we embarked on a bumpy ride again and I was the last in the line again. Why I always the last one? Frankly speaking, I did not really enjoy the whole ride as I was looking out for people crossing the road and holes on the road instead of enjoying the view of the country roads, passing paddies, bridges and pagodas. I guess this is more stressful than horse riding.

...and I dropped my lens cover while riding.. =(

but this sunset made it up~

This finally concluded our stay in Cambodia. I would say this trip made me realise how fortunate we are now. My friend read from somewhere that if this killing spree did not happen, Cambodia might be more advanced than Singapore.